Here is a roundup of premieres of Malaysian works at home and abroad. Since the mid-90s Malaysian works have been performed largely abroad, but from the 2000s onwards has increasingly been heard at home as well.
Local works are becoming a part of the country's busy concert schedule, as well as abroad, such as the regular Asian Composers League festivals around the region.
You can peruse scores and recordings of many of these works at MCC's
digital library in Petaling Jaya.
October 2018, Matera, Italy
Ainolnaim Azizol
JuliJuli
for flute and eletronics
Ainolnaim's work
JuliJuli has been announced as one of two winning works selected for the 2nd MA/IN ~ Spaziomusica Commission in Italy.
It was selected from among 291 works from 44 different countries received by the festival organisers.
October 2018, Taiwan
Rayner Naili
Serpihan Mimpi (Fragments of Dream)
for flute and violin
28-year-old Rayner Naili, born in Sabah, will be presenting his chamber work piece Serpihan Mimpi for flute and violin (Fragments of Dream) at the Asian Composers League festival's Young Composers Competition, and sees the opportunity as a "breakthrough" for Sabahan composers.
Aug 2018, Singapore
Adeline Wong
Herringbone
for piano
Adeline Wong's new work
Herringbone for piano was premiered in Singapore
on August 28 at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. The work is part of
visiting London-based Malaysian pianist Foo Mei-Yi's concert at the conservatoire.
2018, Kuala Lumpur
Johan Othman
The Killing of Meghnad
Johan is in the process of completing his
second opera based on the libretto by William Radice. The basis of the work is an episode from the much loved Ramayana of the same name. It explores how the line between good and evil intentions can often blur.
Dec 2016, Kuala Lumpur
Adeline Wong
Nexus
for low brass quintet
Wong's work scored for alto trombone, tenor trombone, bass trombone and 2 bass tubas is written as part of her new approach to transform ideas explored in previous works into new compositions.
Nexus takes off from where her string quartet Interweaves leaves off.
November 2016, Kuala Lumpur
Ainolnaim Azizol
Seven Sisters
for guitar and electronics with eight speakers
Nathan Fischer (Guitar)
Nocturne I – Ulek
for soprano, sampled gender-slenthem, electronics with eight speakers.
Khairunnisa Diyana (Soprano)
Ainolnaim Azizol provides the electronics for his two works premiered on Wednesday, 23 November 2016 at Pentas 2, KLPac as part of the UiTM composers series concerts. The work includes speakers and movements.
Oct 2016, Hanoi, Vietnam
Adeline Wong
Interweaves
for string quartet
Wong's new string quartet work is based on material from her epic hour-long Lengt/Longing for quartet, solo cello, electronics and multimedia, which was composed in collaboration with Norwegian artists and inspired by Norwegian art.
The work's material draws from Malaysian musical traditions such as the azan call to prayer, as well as other elements typical of Wong's diverse influences.
The quartet receives its world premiere at the
ACL Festival in Hanoi in October.
Sep 2016, Lausanne, Switzerland
Ainolnaim Azizol
Nadi Bumi
for amplified solo alto recorder
Kuantan-based composer Ainolnaim Azizol, who won 2nd prize at the ACL Festival in Japan in 2014, has won 3rd prize at the New Recorder Music 2016 in Lausanne for his piece
Nadi Bumi for amplified solo alto recorder, a work which explores various timbres of the ancient instrument in a modern composition.
Dec 2015, Kuala Lumpur
Ng Chong Lim
Stilness...
for piano
Chong's work originally for the 15 minute break project is based on the composer's feelings when he was high in the Himalayas shortly after the devastating earthquake of 2015. Chong was participating in aid efforts at the time, as part of his extensive charity work. Lasting 3 to 5 minutes, a shorter version of the piece was recorded for the film project.
Dec 2015, Kuala Lumpur
Jessica Cho
Night
Sayyid Shafiee
Constant Flame
Ainolnaim Azizol
Titik titik
Johan Othman
Composition for Piano Nr 3
The four pieces are part of the 15 minutes of fame project for a 1 minute piano work to accompany a short film, based on the environmental theme Fire+Water.
11 Nov 2015, Manila
Ainolnaim Azizol
Meta VI
for tape and dancer
This electroacoustic work with accompanying dance movement was performed at the closing ceremony of the
ACL Festival 2015 in the Philippines.
7 Nov 2015, Manila
Johan Othman
the dancing mouse
for SATB chorus
This six movement work for chorus is an expansion of Johan's song cycle based on the texts of William Radice was performed at the ACL Festival 2015 in the Philippines. The movements are: 1 - 3. Once I saw it only 4. The flaws on the floor 5. The air rushing in 6. The vase of sweet peas
7 Nov 2015, Manila
CH Loh
A Queen, A Mother
for soprano and piano
This pair of two songs is based on poems on the subject of women by Singapore literary prize winner Paul Tan. The songs are Queen Sunandakumariratana and Observing Mother, both published in his anthology in the late 1990s. The work was premiered at the ACL Festival 2015 in the Philippines.
7 Nov 2015, Manila
Sayyid Shafiee
Jinsei Kouro
for C trumpet, bass clarinet and percussion
This work was Malaysia's entry for the Young Composers Competition at the ACL Festival 2015 in the Philippines, performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The 10 minute work is based on the Japanese dance 'butoh'.
29 Nov 2014, Yogjakarta
Ainolnaim Azizol
Nocturne I
for soprano, gender and slenthem
2 Nov 2014, Yokohama
Ainolnaim Azizol
Fragments I
for trumpet duo
The work was performed at the ACL Festival 2014 in Japan as the entry for the Young Composers Competition, for which the composer won 2nd prize.
2014
Ng Chong Lim
Trio
for piano, cello and oboe
This work is a commission from an European trio who is planning to premiere the work at an upcoming concert.
23 - 24 Sep 2013, Singapore
Ainolnaim Azizol
Tirai III
for percussion trio
CH Loh
Nusantara Dances
for harp and symphonic band
Ainolnaim Azizol represented Malaysia in the Young Composers Competition at the Singapore ACL Festival held at the National University of Singapore. At the festival Jessica Cho's Hypnagogic II was also performed, while the Philharmonic Winds premiered of Loh's revised version of his work for harp solo and large symphonic band 'Nusantara Dances' featuring a Singaporean harpist.
16 June 2013, Melbourne
Valerie Ross
Cycles
for piano, flute and tabla
Ross' work originally with oboe was performed at the University of Melbourne's cross cultural concert featuring music of Gareth Farr and Ravi Shankar.
2013, Birmingham
Tazul TajuddinSebuah Pantun VI
for oboe and piano
Performed at the Frontier+Plus Festivasl,
Birmingham Conservatoire in the UK.
2013, Kuala Lumpur
Tazul TajuddinSebuah Pantun V
for
mezzo-soprano, clarinet, cello and piano
Performed by the
Bridget Collective Ensemble of Sydney.
24
Nov 2012, Kuala Lumpur
Ng Chong Lim
Shadows
for piano, gamelan, Malay percussion
Dragonfly
for piano
Shadows, a collaborative work with shadow puppet will
be premiered at the KL Convention Centre as part of the
Chopin Competition 2012 while his Dragonfly is the compulsory
test piece for competitors in the concerto section.